Unwanted Roo - have questions....

[Chasley]

Alright Ya'll,

I invested in 8 Americauna chicks about 3 months ago. All were supposed to hens BUT... i got one rooster. So, I am weighing my options. So far, he is crowing and has barely started to grow his spurs. My main question is when will he be able to start fertilizing eggs?? this is something that i want to strictly control so i need to know when i have to contain him separately. also, besides the obvious issues with neighbors and crowing, what other issues can i expect from having a roo with my girls? any angryness?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Some people like keeping a roo with their hens. It can make for a more balanced chicken society, and the roos watch out for danger & help their hens find good things to eat. Fertile eggs look and taste just the same as sterile ones, there shouldn't be any problems eating them. Chicks wouldn't begin to develop unless a hen was steadily incubating them around the clock. Fertile eggs can also be sold to folks wanting to hatch them.

But some roos can be aggressive towards humans, and some can also give their hens so much "attention" that their feathers come off their backs. You could try to see how this roo behaves, and have a backup plan for him just in case he misbehaves.

 

[patandchickens]

Some roos (not too awful many, but some) are sweet and friendly; others are responsible but very protective; others are a menace. No way to predict what you'll get.

Is there a reason for "wanting to strictly control" fertile eggs, because if so, you may have aproblem there -- eggs will be fertile for up to 3-4 weeks after removal of rooster from hens, so you would basically end up with a lonely grumpy 'rooster in a box' almost all the time.

There is no reason not to eat fertile eggs, though, and if you have not learned what little put-yer-glasses-on-and-squint detail to look for, you will not even KNOW whether they're fertile (assumign you collect eggs daily and refrigerate them). And I say that as a former 'eeeuw, I don't want to eat fertile eggs' person

If you do have him in with your hens and producing fertile eggs, some of their feathers may get a bit worn off their backs and the tops of their heads from mating, depending how vigorous and coordinated he is and whether he has any particular favorites. This is not generally a health issue, but can be a minor appearance issue in some cases (mentioning it only because you asked about anything else related to having a roo with the hens).

Why not try keeping him, see how it works out for you, he probably won't be much easier to get rid of now than he would be later on *anyhow*

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Montana]

I agree. I'd keep him. I've twice taken on a dozen new chicks and have each time ended up with one rooster in the bunch. My first one was a Barred Rock and after he was roughly 2 years he became quite mean. I had to get rid of him. My second one happens to be an RIR and is going on 3 yrs. He's sweet as can be, which is surprising for an RIR Rooster. I'm very careful not to make him feel threatened. I wont allow anyone to tease him. I do lightly pet him in the evening when he's roosting to keep him accustomed to me. As long as he keeps his nice disposition, he can stay in the family.

Give him a chance. A Rooster can add a nice dynamic to the flock and they are very pretty to have arround.

 

[jjparke]

Worst case scenario- I butcher my extra roo's at 4 months old. You've fed him up to this point another month won't be so bad. But if you keep him for rooster purposes expect him to be protective of his girls. I wouldn't keep him separated from them. Really no reason. It will just make him more antsy and nervous. Besides chickens in general are social creatures and should never be alone.